Four Negatives Equals Two Positives, Right?
by I am Bianca Daughter of Hades
Summary: Jaylyn Grace, Peter McLean, Leah Valdez, and Ryan Gilmore. Just four ordinary teens with bad judgement and even worse timing. Tangled in the mess we call love lives, they can only hope that things turn out the way they're supposed to. (AU, Genderbent)


**Author's Note: FIRST STORY OF 2013**

**This is a genderbent, AU novella that is going to last probably 5 chapters. There's Jasper, Leyna, Jeyna, and Liper. But the endgame ships are the latter two. ;) Anyway, I should warn you this is so AU that it could've stood as an orignial story. **

**I know, I may be a teensy bit horrible for ignoring some of my other stories and starting this. But to be honest, I would think that I deserved a break from writing so much humor. O.O Besides, I was inspired. Like, inspired to the point I can't ignore. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, obviously. 2013 doesn't change that one bit.**

* * *

Jaylyn Grace grinned as she walked, or strutted, down the hallways briskly with her straight blonde hair swishing side to side in a high ponytail.

It was going to be a perfect semester.

Peter McLean, her boyfriend, seemed to agree with her thoughts as he put an arm around her warmly. Jaylyn giggled a bit. She was never used to being so protected and off-limits before. Maybe that was because Peter is her first official boyfriend. Or maybe she had a boyfriend before she moved here when she was thirteen? Oh, well. She doesn't remember that well. It was, after all, YEARS ago and now she's a junior in high school.

Okay, so Peter is the most good-looking boy in her year with his lean figure, Cherokee descent, choppy brown hair, and multicolored eyes. He plays piano, has a great voice, and is just so sensitive and sweet. His mother is the famous movie star, Trisha McLean, but no one actually knows about it since he detested the fake popularity that came with the package. He was basically perfect, inside and out. But most importantly, he loves her. A whole lot. And she loves him back, too.

"What's your next class?" Peter asked her with a gorgeous smile that made other girls swoon for him.

"Geography." She replied with a dazzling smile of her own, "You?"

Peter had a look of distaste in his face as he sighed, "History."

"Fun," she smirked and giggled as people made way for the junior Golden Couple of Baden High. (The senior Golden Couple is Andrew Chase, student body president, and Peri Jackson, swim team captain and a member of her cheerleading squad.) To be honest, she actually liked History, but it just amuses her how much her boyfriend detests it.

"I'll see you during break?" Peter gave her a lopsided grin.

"But, of course," Jaylyn kissed her boyfriend's cheek with contentment.

Peter wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close for a quick kiss before they parted ways to class. Those were the only times they were apart. He was always besides her and always attentive and considerate.

She couldn't help but smile goofily when she replayed the kiss in her head as she walked into class just in time for the bell to ring.

* * *

Jaylyn was almost nodding off in class when her phone vibrated, signaling that Peter must've sent her a text in class. She grinned inwardly. How could anyone have such a perfect, sweet boyfriend? But she forced herself not to text back. After all, she wouldn't wanted to be caught by Mrs. Hawkins (who had the sharpest eyes around and could practically see from the back of her head).

Then a note was passed from her right.

She glanced sideways to see Leah Valdez drumming her pen on her desk with a small wink. Leah and her were pretty good friends. Then again, Leah is the funniest girl in town and is kind of popular in her own way even though she tends to go off on her own to study computers and stuff. She was a pixie-like, Hispanic joker-computer wizard. Black curly hair with light brown eyes, it was kind of a shame she was a little shorter compared to the other girls in their grade or she would've had half the male population here drooling after her. But Jaylyn didn't really care about that. She liked talking to her. It had always been funny and totally random.

_What? _

She scribbled down and passed it back without looking. She was, after all, one of the most popular girl around. Besides, it would arouse suspicion.

She heard the sound of pen scratching paper as she pretended to look positively interested in whatever Mrs. Hawkins was droning on about.

_**Mrs. Hawkins looks like a horse crossed with a hawk but had her nose stolen by winged chicken nuggets.**_

Jaylyn nearly snorted out loud in class and rolled her electric blue eyes. Leah had the most hilarious comments ever. And the most insane thoughts, too. Anyone sane would never understand the logic of Leah Valdez the Incredibly Insane.

She then wrote down, _Chicken nuggets? __Seriously?_

_**Yeah, they're awesome. (Problem?)**_

_Anyway, have you heard what everyone was talking about?_

She frowned to recall all the bits of conversations she had with various people. She didn't remember anything particularly significant.

_Nope. Not really._

Leah shot her a scandalized look. Not only was she the class clown and computer nerd, Leah also happened to make a great Drama Queen.

_**Are you kidding me?! **_

_**Anyway, there's a new transfer student around. I heard he's the hottest guy around since Andrew and Peter.**_

Jaylyn just raised her eyebrows. She already have Peter(,who is way more than she ever deserved). The news of a new hot male student isn't a big deal for her. But she couldn't help but feel the teensiest bit curious. Anyone would, right?

She hurriedly wrote back,

_Oh? I have a boyfriend. Anyway, you've got your eye on him?_

Leah wrote down something hurriedly and tossed the piece of paper back carelessly.

_**Haven't met him yet and don't know his name! But I'm pretty sure I won't be the only one...**_

"Ms. Grace! Can you tell me what I just said?" Mrs. Hawkins glared at her like a bird of prey.

Jaylyn shot Leah a slight glare before standing up in a resigned way and answering her question without missing a beat.

No more notes were passed after that.

* * *

Jaylyn sat at one of the most rowdy cafeteria table. Why? People crowded over naturally wherever she, Peri, Andrew and Peter sat for some strange reason. Peri and Andrew were one of her closest friends even though they're seniors and she's still a junior. And no one could deny they were the coolest seniors EVER.

"-and so I pushed her into the pool! She screamed so loudly, I thought the windows would shatter!" Peri finished her story, laughing merrily.

Andrew cracked a grin and nudged his girlfriend, "That technically isn't possible. Unless she has secret extreme opera training."

Jaylyn cracked up as well, "Oh, man! She HATES water!"

"And we hate her!" Peter finished with a slight smirk.

We were talking about one of the school's greatest 'female dog', Octavia Hughes.

Jaylyn was eating up her fries when she felt the lightest tap on her bare shoulder. The tingly contact seemed almost familiar somehow. But she instinctively knew it wasn't Peter. She turned around sharply and saw a tall, attractive boy with black hair and obsidian eyes. She felt Peter put an arm around her possessively, as if to say 'don't even think about stealing my girlfriend'. She looked at him dumbly and said uncertainly with a friendly smile nonetheless, "Hi, I'm Jaylyn Grace. And this is my boyfriend, Peter McLean. Um, and you are?"

The boy's broad shoulders fell a bit as she saw something along the lines of hurt in his dark eyes that evaporated as fast as it appeared. But he shook her extended hand anyways with a clearly forced smile, "Hi, I'm the new transfer student. Oh, and I used to be your best friend before you moved here."

Jaylyn racked her brain for a name she hasn't thought about since a long time. Her eyes widened as she got up abruptly and choked out with a contorted face, "You... Are you Ryan? As in _Ryan Gilmore?"_

Ryan nodded slowly as he stepped away from her, "Yes. I think you should just forget that we were ever best friends and keep on living your life the way you do now. I mean, I'm fine with that," he smiled quickly but muttered softly, "God knows how much you've changed."

"Change is good," Peter spoke, standing up next to her to face Ryan, who was a few inches taller, squarely with narrowed eyes.

Suddenly, tension was thick in the air.

"Sometimes." Ryan replied easily, glancing at her, and shrugged. "But not always."

"Jaylyn is perfect the way she is now." Peter said even more loudly, taking her hand with his own strangely defiantly.

She felt the tiniest bit glad for what Peter said. But it didn't wash away the shock of seeing her old best friend, undeniably hot and calm at the same time. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't recognize her longtime best friend.

"Believe what you want. No one is perfect. If she was, you would've thought she'd recognize her longtime best friend. Or, well, _ex-_best friend." His lips formed a thin line as his gaze hardened like steel. "Anyway, just forget about this ever happened and get on with your lives." Ryan gave her a fleeting glance she couldn't meet and walked away, disappearing into the crowds.

Peter cleared his throat and asked, "So...what was that between you and him?"

Jaylyn sat down and reassured him with a convincing fake smile, "It's nothing. We just used to be best friends before I moved here. We weren't anything like that."

Peter grinned with satisfaction, "Good, because I love you."

She smiled weakly and echoed, "I love you too." She realized how she has never minded whenever Peter was a bit possessive of her until this moment. For the first time, she felt a little uncomfortable instead of completely safe.

She picked at her food unconsciously and tried to not think about what Ryan said. She forgot her own best friend completely for three or four years? Something dug a hole in her stomach and filled it with guilt and remorse.

* * *

She started to remember what they were during classes this afternoon. According to Peter, she looked like a (beautiful) living zombie for the rest of the day. Her mind _wandered off during Literature back to seventh grade..._

_There was a strangely familiar playground. It was a summer day, full of life, love and laughter. While most of the kids playing there were six or seven, two thirteen year olds stuck out like giants among dwarves, sitting on the swings. It was her and Ryan. On the day after her birthday, to be exact._

_Ryan looked awkwardly cute in his early teen years. And she was just beginning to bloom._

_He was smiling and laughing, wearing a worn down T-shirt and old khaki shorts. He looked so relaxed and open, unlike his stiff, frigid seventeen years old self. He was pretty recognizable, aside from the bipolar personality he showed today._

_She, on the other hand, was almost completely different from the girl she is today. She had her hair down completely and it was overly messy. She was wearing a baggy T-shirt, regular shorts, and a baseball cap. It was so different from her style today._

_"So, did you like your present?" Ryan smirked at the thirteen year old her._

_"Yeah, especially the neon purple T-shirt saying 'Ryan beat me in at least 300 basketball games'," she had replied sarcastically._

_"I AM better at it after all." Ryan shrugged easily._

_"You're just sour that I beat you in Wii Resort." She stuck her tongue at him._

_He laughed and made a face back at her, causing them to erupt with laughter._

_"It's not the REAL gift anyway..." He mused, swinging back and forth on his tire._

_She stopped, "What real gift?"_

_"This." Ryan tossed something shiny to her._

_She caught it midair and gasped. It was a necklace made from plated gold with a bright blue topaz set in the shape of a jagged lightning." Ryan! This must've cost you-"_

_"Save it," he said abruptly, then half-grinned at her, "You can start saving for my Christmas present this year though..."_

_Thirteen year old Jaylyn just laughed and slapped him on the arm._

Jaylyn shivered a bit and gulped. It seemed almost wrong to think about that memory... Wrong for her because of Peter somehow. She shook the feeling and the memory off. Maybe it would be easier if she just pretended she had truly forgotten.

Then she would see the dark smoldering eyes like an abyss of disappointment burning her alive in her mind's eye.

But she'd continue strutting down the hallway with a bright smile plastered on her face like it was going to be the perfect junior year she had expected it to be.

Jaylyn has never understood the saying, "Ignorance is bliss."

Maybe she does now.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, what do you think? (I hope they aren't too OOC... ) Do you like it so far? Can you guess who's who? ;)**

**But here are how I changed their names: **

Jaylyn Grace- Jason Grace

Peter McLean- Piper McLean

Leah Valdez- Leo Valdez

Ryan Gilmore- Reyna Gilmore

Andrew Chase- Annabeth Chase

Peri Jackson- Percy Jackson

Octavia Hughes- Octavian

Trisha McLean- Tristan McLean

**Happy New Year! :D**


End file.
